There is no better time to assess our lives and review the year than right now. Doing this is a way to ascertain whether or not we are on track with whatever goals we may have in life. Where we discover we have fallen short, we can then plan how to get back on track.
The general questions to ask yourself are,
1. Where am I?
2. What was my plan at the beginning of the year?
3. Am I on the right track?
4. What distracted me?
5. What encouraged me?
6. What is the way forward?
In planning the way forward, it is not enough to just think of what you plan to do or hope to achieve, WRITE IT DOWN! If you take nothing else away today, take away the idea of writing things down and make it a habit. My mother taught me something she does and it has stuck with me ever since. At the end of every year, I make a list of everything I hope to achieve the following year. At various points in a year, I can refer to that list and use it as a guide of sorts and at the end of the year, I gladly tick off most things or everything as done!
If you go through life with all your ideas and visions floating around in your head, chances are you will begin to forget them before long and eventually stray from your original plan. When writing down your goals, there are certain factors you should consider. I hear goals should be SMART - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound. They say, 'Little drops make a mighty ocean' and, 'The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step'; set little SMART goals for yourself that will collectively lead up to achieving your ultimate goal.
One last thing I would like to touch on is the issue of the company you keep. I will keep this short and relative to the topic at hand. It would be pretty pointless to take out time to set goals and plan your life, only to surround yourselves with people who do not share your vision, believe in it or support it in any way. Such people may weigh you down, derail you and sometimes even destroy your dream all together. A friend of mine once wrote, and I quote,
"Never share a dream of a 200" x 300" ambition with a person who has a mindset of just 2" x 3", they'll cut out the most relevant and important details of your dream".
I wish you all a wonderful year ahead. May your best of 2011 be your worst in 2012. The only acceptable way is the way forward.
Have a blessed week!
xoxo
MJ
